issues with cleaning my glass carboy

[alemonster]

I have tried scrubbing and using oxyclean..but I am still finding deposits on the sides and corners of the carboy. I read in Palmers book about using CLR. Does anyone know what kind of dilution i should use. I have also read about white vineger. Same question? Thank you all in advance.

Mike

 

[BendBrewer]

Have you let it soak in Oxyclean? I normally soak it over night and everything wipes right out the next day with the carboy brush.

You could also search Shamwow on a stick and get a pretty good laugh from a video.

 

[Nuggethead]

I have never tried Oxiclean, but I have always used PBW and hot water. I know it's more expensive, but I have never had a problem with stubborn deposits. I usually don't even scrub, just soak for a few hours and rinse.

 

[alemonster]

yeah I let them soak in oxyclean overnight. they have been building up. it is probably this vegas hard water. any other thoughts?

 

[RM-MN]

Many items ship in glass containers because it is impervious to most chemicals. I wouldn't dilute the CLR at all. I suspect you have mineral deposits instead of the usual krausen that you need to remove. Just be careful where you dump the CLR when you are done soaking with it. It has a fairly high concentration of hydrochloric acid.

 

[Ace_Club]

In addition to the above, I've also soaked my carboys in a solution of 2 cups bleach to as much water as the carboy can hold. Cleans it perfectly.

 

[certaut]

I use lye, be careful it's dangerous but cheap,gloves and a face shield are a must
mix in boil kettle because it gets hot I clean the bk then the tun and then the fermenter
then a minuet or two with a pressure washer and cleanup is done 25 min tops

 

[alemonster]

Thanks for the input everyone. went ahead and did a heavy solution of vinegar and watter. broke that scale down real nice. ran my carboy brush real quick then I let soak for a couple hours. Rinsed..scale all gone. Hope this helps others.

Mike

 

[dos_perros]

I have heard and read that Oxy Clean Free will work better with hard water and will not leave any scale. Sounds like you got it cleaned though, I have one I need to clean this weekend that had lots of krausen.

 

[riromero]

Where can you get lye these days? Seems most stores took it off the shelves because a few lowlifes were using it to make meth.

I use lye, be careful it's dangerous but cheap,gloves and a face shield are a must
mix in boil kettle because it gets hot I clean the bk then the tun and then the fermenter
then a minuet or two with a pressure washer and cleanup is done 25 min tops

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I have heard and read that Oxy Clean Free will work better with hard water and will not leave any scale. Sounds like you got it cleaned though, I have one I need to clean this weekend that had lots of krausen.

Not sure what you're comparing it to but PBW works better than Oxiclean Free in hard water because it rinses better and doesn't leave deposits. Usually the deposits left behind (plus beer scale) can be cleaned by a soak in a weak acid solution so the vinegar/water mix should work, or Starsan.

 

[dos_perros]

Not sure what you're comparing it to but PBW works better than Oxiclean Free in hard water because it rinses better and doesn't leave deposits. Usually the deposits left behind (plus beer scale) can be cleaned by a soak in a weak acid solution so the vinegar/water mix should work, or Starsan.

I should have specified SpanishCastleAle that I was comparing it to regular Oxy Clean. May have to give the vinegar / water mix a try. Thanks for the tip!

 

[MisterGreen]

I have tried scrubbing and using oxyclean..but I am still finding deposits on the sides and corners of the carboy. I read in Palmers book about using CLR. Does anyone know what kind of dilution i should use. I have also read about white vineger. Same question? Thank you all in advance.

Mike

Use PBW and hot water. I've never had to scrub my carboy and the thing sparkles like new.

 

[LordUlrich]

My method (I am also a hard water brewer ~400ppm):

Remove beer, and drain out as much as possable
Rinse with HOT water unitl no more chunks come out
Fill with HOT water, Add PBW
Let set over night (ok so more like 3-4 days)
dump out
Rinse again with HOT water
Rinse with Starsan

PBW and oxy cleen are NOT directly comparable. PBW is a base (a weak caustic) cleaner, even after the bubbles stop completely it still cleans (PBW also has something like oxy cleen in also but as i understand it most of the cleaning is from the caustic). Caustics clean organic "dirt". Oxycleen is kinda like an abrasive.

The starsan is an acid, the acid cleans minerals (it also sanitizes but i re-sanitize before brewing too). Starsan also neutralizes any PBW left.

 

[Egbert]

Where can you get lye these days? Seems most stores took it off the shelves because a few lowlifes were using it to make meth.

Some Lowes has this stuff called:
Roebic brand Crystal Drain Cleaner.

you will not find it online. It'll be with the plumbing drain cleaning chemicals.
It is 100% Sodium Hydroxide. If you aren't sure, look at the label or ask someone there for a Material Data Sheet.

 

[conpewter]

Where can you get lye these days? Seems most stores took it off the shelves because a few lowlifes were using it to make meth.

I'd also like to know where to get Lye easily. Also can't find Washing soda anymore

 

[MelvinNerdley]

alemonster-

Can you define 'heavy solution' please? I am battling a stubborn scale and Oxiclean didn't make a dent. I may have used a weak solution as I used 1- 2Tbsp scoop in a full 6.5 gallons of hot water.

Thank you much!

Mike

Thanks for the input everyone. went ahead and did a heavy solution of vinegar and watter. broke that scale down real nice. ran my carboy brush real quick then I let soak for a couple hours. Rinsed..scale all gone. Hope this helps others.

Mike

 

[alemonster]

I bought a big jug of white vinegar and filled my 3 gallon carboy about 1/3 up and filled the rest with warm water. stuck my carboy brush in there and gave a couple of quick runs. let it soak for about 2 hours and it was gone.

Hope this helps.

Mike